Cyril ramps up election campaign on Malema's home turf

By Frank Maponya - 16 April 2019 - 13:33

President Cyril Ramaphosa. Image: REUTERS/Mike Hutchings/File Photo

A huge red billboard bearing the picture of EFF leader Julius Malema stands behind numerous ANC supporters who have come to listen to the party's president Cyril Ramaphosa address community members at the Seshego Zone 1 shopping complex in Limpopo.

This is viewed as Malema's territory where he enjoys massive support from members of his community. However, supporters of the ruling party on Tuesday came in large numbers, mostly wearing yellow T-shirts bearing Ramaphosa's picture.

Ramaphosa is also expected to conduct door-to-door campaigns in Malema's stronghold. Among those who attended the election rally was Machuene Semenya, chairperson of parliament's portfolio committee on agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

She said she was coming to ask people to renew the ANC's mandate to go back to parliament "so that we can continue with the programme of bettering lives of our people".

"We'll also join President Ramaphosa when he will be conducting door-to-door campaigns and later addressing community members as we want to ensure a landslide victory for the ANC in the coming elections," said Semenya, who had previously held several positions as MEC in Limpopo prior to her move to Cape Town.

Another former MEC, Dikeledi Magadzi, who is chairperson of the portfolio committee on transport in parliament, said she managed to convince two women who came to the event wearing blue DA T-shirts to vote for the ANC in the general elections on May 8.

"What I gathered from those two women was that they had been let down by councillors in their area but I told them to forget about individuals in the organisation and channel their votes towards the ruling party. And I'm happy that they both agreed to cast their votes in support of the ANC," Magadzi said.

A convoy of motorbikes and private cars branded in ANC colours arrived at the venue to huge applause. By lunchtime, Ramaphosa had not arrived at the packed venue as he was said to have visited Chief Kgabo Moloto III in Moletji prior to addressing the supporters who seemed very patient with the delay.